Scent marketing is nothing new as most people will have subconsciously been exposed to scent marketing their entire lives.
From the smell of fresh bread as you walk past a bakery, to the enticing smell of a coffee shop with its fresh coffee grinds, to the scents that might remind you of Christmas, like pine, cinnamon, and gingerbread. Scents have the power to elicit emotions, and emotions commit moments to become memories.
Scents can also help to drive footfall by encouraging customers to enter a space in the first place or to dwell longer in an area with a pleasant smell.
So what is Scent Marketing?
Scent marketing is a form of sensory marketing, focusing on appealing to your customers’ sense of smell. Using selected fragrances, at strategic touch points throughout the layout of a store – you can help to create a unique experience for the customer with the right scent for your space.
How does Scenting work?
At a basic level if we look at how scent works for businesses we can link it to four distinctive levels.
- Functional – odour remediation and the masking of bad odours – i.e. an unpleasant smell from a washroom.
- Ambient scenting – still functional, this is a similar or identical scent throughout a space, aimed at increasing dwell time in-store.
- Scent marketing – more brand-focused, and entering the multisensory channel to entice, and evoke an experience.
- Brand scent marketing – the full olfactory experience, aimed at driving a deeper emotional connection from customers with a brand, through the use of a signature scent. The ‘scent’ therefore becomes the brand’s olfactory logo with the connection to smell, memory, and experience.
While often overlooked, scent marketing includes the strategic use of carefully selected fragrances at different points of customer interaction. The inclusion of the right scent within your store establishes a noticeable and enduring connection. This can effectively help to communicate your brand identity.
How scent marketing can positively impact your retail store
Creates a link between memory and emotion: People often relate a scent to a memory. Memorable scents can cause your customers to remember your brand. A distinct and consistent scent therefore becomes part of your brand identity. Just as logos and colours are associated with a brand, a signature fragrance helps in creating a unique and recognisable identity. This recognition can set your business apart from competitors and make it easier for customers to remember your brand. Given that around 75% of daily emotions are influenced by scent, the role of scent marketing can be used as a strategic marketing tool to drive in-store sales in a very competitive environment.
Communicates value and drives sales: Research has shown that by creating an in-store experience that elicits an emotive atmosphere, customers can and will spend more time and money in-store. A Washington State University study in 2012 found that shoppers in a scented shopping mall spent an average of 20% more. The study examined 400+ shoppers in Switzerland for more than two weeks. A group of 100 people who shopped in a scented space spent 20% more than the other test subjects.
Builds brand loyalty and image: Scenting contributes to the overall atmosphere and experience in your business. A pleasant and carefully chosen fragrance can help to connect with consumers on a deeper emotional level, resulting in a more memorable experience. Scent can attract new customers, heighten value perception, and expand brand recognition and customer satisfaction. This is done by linking the “Scent” to your “Brand”.
Find out more about scent marketing with Ambius
How to implement Scenting in your business
Learn more about the benefits of scent marketing
